Legends of Belariath
Roxy
Part Three - Storm of Creation
Another rainy night had found us when Rexana cried out in the pains of labor. She had been for some time. I had called upon some nearby kin to come help, and a maiden had answered my call. She helped Rexana birth the larger than usual babe, and though Rexana herself was a tough catwoman who lay with a wolven, apparently her womb still wasn't prepared enough for the catwolven that sprung forth. Rexana was left sterile and bed-ridden for some time, but the catwoman spent much of that time caring for Roxy, the catwolven, a very charming little girl. Her bed-ridden father found himself recovering soon after, with the new abundance of herbs and the like springing from the ground, and it seemed that life would once more be at ease.
Roxy grew so very, very fast. It seemed the catwolven was only just a babe a few years ago. After a few years, she was running alongside myself, preferring my ways of the forest to her mother's, and I showed her many sights. Where her mother and father had giggled and sipped of juice next to a waterfall. Where I had put a stop to a few goblin intruders. I showed her how to commune with the animal-kind, and how to choose what and what not to hunt. Roxy was a very intelligent child, she learned quickly, and seemed to have a way with the creatures of the forest even I did not possess, squirrels and deer more than happy to crowd around the mrowling catwolven as she learned to call to them. A very intense young lady, I must say.
Roxy was also a very simple person, though. I found that in her few meetings with humans, dwarves, and other such people, she was often tricked. The catwolven has had her share of 'lovers' though I'm certain it was rape. I suspect the girl was broken in a way, as she often talked of 'helping' people so they wouldn't be displeased. She insisted on 'helping' me on several occasions, and the one time I accepted out of curiosity, I found myself lying rather exhausted next to a stream, with a very wet catwolven (we never ended up in the water until afterwards) looking at me to make sure I was content. And I was, at the time, but later, I had to worry, of course. I wasn't sure what to tell her though. For all my years, and for all my many talents, I found I could not explain to her that she didn't need to be 'free' with herself as she was.
I have had many triumphs, and obviously, many failures. One such failure came the night I chanced upon a rather dirty wolven and thought maybe he could show Roxy something I could not, some respect. He had quite the ego, as I recall, but certainly not the mindset I found was needed. He raped Roxy, and I could hear her cry of pain throughout the forest... I would not let him finish. Through trees my feet carried me, and my arrow found his back, sending him toppling over and Roxy looking hurt and confused. She stared at that arrow, and I know she knew who had sent it. But she said nothing. In fact, Roxy carried the bastard back to her home, and the crazy catwolven tended to her own rapist along with her mother and father, and didn't tell them.
I meant to do so myself, to perhaps finish him, even, but Roxy gave me a look that told me such would not be wise. I'm not sure if I was myself when I let that arrow fly. I had quite meant to kill him, and had endangered Roxy further in that moment of crisis, though my aim was true, the bow and arrows were a bit crude, fashioned over the winter. The wolven was not thankful. Rexana, Raggy, and Roxy found the wolven had nothing but curses for them, calling them freaks, mutants, and far worse, though I would rather not taint my tongue with his words. The wound was clean, and he healed swiftly enough, before he retreated for parts unknown. Roxy demanded I leave him be... and I fear that was where everything went wrong.